"Freee~ii!"
After receiving the command, Butterfree's eyes instantly glowed blue.
Whoosh~
An invisible wave of Confusion directly struck Weepinbell.
"Sprout!" Weepinbell immediately cried out in pain as a sharp ache pierced its mind.
"Hold on, Weepinbell!"
There was nothing Icarus could do. At least with his current knowledge, he had no good way to defend against Confusion.
"Sprout! Sprout~"
After enduring the attack, Weepinbell panted heavily in place.
It had survived.
Although its physical condition had dropped to the brink, it could still barely continue fighting.
"It feels like every Butterfree raised by those family disciples knows Confusion. That's so unfair!"
Up in the stands, Airi couldn't help grumbling when she saw yet another Butterfree using Psychic-type abilities.
"Butterfree and Beedrill are among the most common and easiest Pokémon to train. Their development manuals aren't expensive, so most families probably own copies."
Stone, sitting beside her, immediately explained.
"Then should we raise one too? I remember we got a Beedrill training manual before, right?"
Hearing that, Airi suddenly remembered the Beedrill manual gathering dust at home.
"Uh… there's no need. We've already teamed up with Brother Icarus. His Weepinbell and Pidgeotto are way more useful than Beedrill. Honestly, Beedrill doesn't really fit either of our teams. It would just be a bonus Pokémon."
Hearing Airi's sudden idea, Stone hurriedly shut it down.
"Uh-huh, I was just saying it casually!"
Realizing she had spoken too impulsively, Airi quickly corrected herself.
"Those extra manuals could still be useful later. If we ever build our own faction in the future, we can use them to train some fast cannon-fodder troops.
Though that's probably still far away. We still need to travel and challenge Gyms first."
Seeing Airi drop the topic, Stone nodded and shared his thoughts.
"Uh-huh! Our first stop should be Pewter City. That's a Rock-type Gym, so Brother Stone would definitely love it there.
Then after that comes Cerulean City, the Water-type Gym. I heard there are tons of Water Pokémon there! Maybe I can even catch one or two!"
Just talking about traveling made Airi's eyes light up with excitement.
"Then both of us need to work hard. Brother Icarus will probably begin his journey once he reaches the Superior level.
In these next two years, we need to train at least one Pokémon to Superior level too."
Looking at the excited girl, Stone patted the Poké Ball at his waist and encouraged her.
"Don't worry! I won't hold you back~"
Airi confidently agreed.
Although the gap between Superior-level and mid-stage Ordinary-level Pokémon wasn't as overwhelming as the gap between Elite and Ordinary, a Superior-level Pokémon could still easily defeat four or five mid-stage Ordinary Pokémon.
That's why, in the wild, having even one normal Superior-level Pokémon was enough to safely travel through most areas.
It was also why Superior-level Trainers held such high status in this small town, often becoming family elders or leaders of small factions.
Back on the battlefield, Weepinbell was desperately using Seed Machine Gun to pressure Butterfree, trying to buy enough time to slowly recover.
"Tank the hit and use Gust! Butterfree!"
At that moment, Endo Satoshi also noticed something strange.
Weepinbell's injuries seemed to be slowly recovering.
Realizing this, he immediately ordered Butterfree to endure a few hits and retaliate with Gust.
Even if Butterfree took some damage, it was still better than letting the battle drag on until Weepinbell fully recovered.
After all, mental energy didn't naturally recover that quickly.
Bang bang bang~
The stationary Butterfree was struck by several seeds from Seed Machine Gun.
"Freeeii! Huuu"
Fortunately, the damage wasn't too serious. Butterfree endured the attacks and unleashed Gust.
"Sprout~ Sprout…"
Weepinbell endured another wave of wind attacks, but despairingly realized something—
It could no longer recover faster than the damage it was taking.
The accumulated injuries and energy consumption had finally exceeded its recovery rate.
"Weepinbell, keep clashing with it!"
Icarus understood what Weepinbell was trying to say, but he had no intention of surrendering.
He only wanted Weepinbell to hold on a little longer and consume as much of the opponent's strength as possible.
"Crap!"
Hearing Icarus's command, Endo Satoshi cursed inwardly and could only urge Butterfree to finish Weepinbell quickly.
Unfortunately, Butterfree's Moves hadn't undergone specialized training.
For a while, the battle became a stalemate:
Weepinbell hit twice with Seed Machine Gun, and Butterfree answered with two Gusts.
There was nothing Endo Satoshi could do about it.
His primary focus had always been on raising Pikachu and Flaaffy. Butterfree had originally only been used as a powder-support Pokémon before unexpectedly developing Psychic abilities.
This matchup had forced him to send it out.
Originally, he thought Confusion alone would instantly finish Weepinbell.
Who could've predicted that this Weepinbell not only carried an item, but also knew so many recovery Moves?
At this point, Endo Satoshi had finally figured it out.
Weepinbell's recovery speed was far too abnormal.
It definitely had a held item—just like his own Pokémon.
"Damn cheater!"
Endo Satoshi cursed inwardly, completely forgetting that his own Pikachu had also been relying on a Light Ball earlier.
Bang~
After three or four more exchanges, Weepinbell finally collapsed under another Gust attack and lost its ability to battle.
"Contestant Icarus, please send out your second Pokémon."
Seeing Weepinbell collapse, the referee immediately spoke.
"It still lost… I thought with Black Sludge and Ingrain, Weepinbell could outlast that Butterfree."
Airi looked regretful as she watched the exhausted Weepinbell.
"Weepinbell already did amazingly well this battle. It defeated Pikachu and heavily injured Butterfree too.
Speaking of which, Brother Icarus really has incredible luck. He actually encountered a large merchant caravan in the forest heading toward Viridian City and traded Poison-type materials for a piece of Black Sludge.
I hope tomorrow's auction also has items suitable for us~"
Unlike Airi, Stone didn't feel disappointed at all.
In his eyes, Weepinbell had already performed brilliantly, and that Black Sludge item had played a massive role.
Since the Black Sludge couldn't realistically be hidden forever, Icarus had already told the two of them that he'd obtained it by trading with a merchant caravan during a solo mission.
"Well, if Gust didn't contain Flying-type energy, the battle probably would've ended much sooner.
As for items, our town almost never sells them regularly. Bigger cities definitely do. Pewter City should have them, and maybe even at cheaper prices."
Still frustrated by her own earlier defeat, Airi sounded a little resentful.
"Alright, let's keep watching. Brother Icarus should definitely win this next round. Whether he uses Houndoom or Pidgeotto, he'll have an easy victory."
Hearing Airi's comments, Stone suppressed his own urge to buy items and gestured toward the battlefield.
"Please don't be a Flying-type… please don't be a counter matchup… please…"
On the battlefield, as Endo Satoshi watched Icarus take out his second Poké Ball, he desperately prayed in his heart.
As long as it was something like Raticate or Arbok, his Butterfree could still rely on aerial advantage and Poison Powder to slowly wear the opponent down.
After making it this far, who wouldn't want to enter tomorrow's Top Eight?
"Go, Pidgeotto!"
Unfortunately for him, Icarus released Pidgeotto, instantly shattering all of his hopes.
"It's over… It can't outspeed it, and the typing is terrible…"
The moment he saw Pidgeotto, Endo Satoshi's heart sank completely.
Still, surrendering was out of the question.
"The second battle begins!"
The referee glanced sympathetically at Butterfree before blowing the whistle.
"Pidgeotto, show it what a real Gust looks like! Gust!"
Taking the first move, Icarus immediately decided to teach Butterfree a lesson.
"Chreee~ Huuu!"
Pidgeotto aggressively flapped its wings.
"Little guy, I heard you were bullying my big brother earlier!"
A powerful gale erupted instantly.
"Freee~ii!"
Butterfree felt like a fallen leaf caught in a storm, helplessly blown around while sharp wind blades slashed across its body.
"Press the advantage! Control the gale and finish it with Twister!"
Seeing Butterfree completely unable to resist, Icarus immediately ordered the finishing blow.
"CHREEE!"
Pidgeotto instantly changed the rhythm and angle of its wingbeats.
Huuuuu~
The scattered winds rapidly merged together into a massive Twister that swallowed Butterfree whole and hurled it into the sky.
"Butterfree!"
Seeing this, Endo Satoshi cried out anxiously.
He never expected this Pidgeotto to be this strong.
Even though Butterfree had already been injured, it still retained sixty to seventy percent of its fighting ability.
The gap between low-stage and mid-stage Ordinary-level Pokémon wasn't that massive.
He had originally hoped to struggle for a while longer and maybe find an opportunity to turn the tables.
But he never imagined Pidgeotto would crush Butterfree in only two Moves.
"Holy crap! That Twister is insane!"
"Yeah! I can feel the wind all the way up here!"
"That Butterfree is definitely done for!"
"See? Those family disciples only rely on items! Without them, they're nothing against talented commoner Trainers!"
"Hey, what's that commoner Trainer's name again? Icarus?"
"Yeah! And he looks really young too!"
At this point, even the audience members who knew nothing about Pokémon battles could tell that the family-faction Trainer was getting completely overwhelmed.
Naturally, public opinion instantly swung toward Icarus.
"Ahem~ His name is Icarus! He's only sixteen years old this year! He's our team captain too!"
Hearing so many people praising Icarus, Airi felt proud as if she herself were being complimented, so she boldly shouted toward the crowd.
Unfortunately, her voice was far too soft compared to the roaring stadium.
Only a nearby group of spectators heard her clearly.
"Oh my god! That little girl said the commoner Trainer down there is only sixteen!"
"Doesn't that mean he's only been a Trainer for a single year?!"
"I'm telling you, that guy named Icarus won't even turn sixteen until after New Year!"
"What?! Seriously?!"
"Doesn't that make him even more talented than that guy Qi?"
"Yeah! Qi only reached Superior-level at twenty years old, but this guy is already mid-stage Ordinary at sixteen, and he even defeated a family disciple at the same level!"
"What a genius!"
People loved exciting news.
Although only a few nearby spectators originally heard Airi, the information spread rapidly throughout the entire stadium.
Soon, the whole audience was buzzing with discussion about Icarus.
Back on the battlefield, the giant Twister slowly dissipated.
Bang!
"Freee~ii…"
Butterfree crashed heavily onto the battlefield, letting out one final cry before losing its ability to battle.
"I announce that this battle is won by Contestant 378, Icarus!"
The referee immediately declared the result.
"Ohhh!"
"Icarus! Icarus!"
"Icarus! Icarus!"
Now that public opinion had completely shifted, the audience spontaneously began chanting Icarus's name.
"This feeling… isn't bad at all."
Hearing the crowd cheering for him, Icarus felt a deep sense of accomplishment and pride rise in his chest.
After spending so long quietly developing while staying low-profile, this was the first time he had truly shown his brilliance to the world.
And in this small town, he had finally begun to make a name for himself.
Thump thump thump~
As soon as he left the battlefield, he saw Airi and Stone hurrying toward him.
"Congratulations, Brother Icarus! And thank you for avenging me!"
The moment Airi reached him, she immediately threw herself into a hug.
"Brother Icarus, congratulations!"
Unlike Airi, Stone was too embarrassed to ask for a hug and could only congratulate him verbally.
"Thanks. Oh, right—you two don't need to wait around specifically for me.
If you want to train hard, come over tonight. It's still early, and since neither of you have more matches today, you could also head outside and explore a bit."
After gently setting Airi back down, Icarus thanked them and offered a suggestion.
There were plenty of side activities happening outside the venue.
He'd heard that many contestants eliminated earlier had already gone out to participate and earned quite a bit of spending money.
"No way! Those outside activities are for people who lost. Staying here to watch battles is much better. The level here is way higher."
Still a little disappointed after being released from the hug, Airi quickly shook her head.
"Yeah, Airi's right. We can make money after the New Year, but we don't get to watch this many excellent Trainers battle every day. I want to stay and learn more too."
After Airi spoke, Stone nodded in agreement.
"Alright then. Let's go watch the next arena. These are all potential opponents for me, after all.
I still need to win one more match tonight to enter tomorrow's Top Eight."
Hearing their determination, Icarus nodded and stopped trying to persuade them.
Together, the three headed toward the nearby battlefield.
Meanwhile, hidden in a corner of the hallway, another Trainer silently watched Icarus's departing figure.
"So this is the Trainer Luna chose…"
"His strength really is impressive."
"And he's supposedly only sixteen years old…"
"It looks like I need to report this back to the family. The plan may need to change."
The Trainer rubbed his nose, took out his phone, and silently sent away a recorded video of the entire battle.